NEW MEDAL’S PRECEDENCE OVER OTHER AWARDS IS WRONG

As the national president of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society (DFCS) headquartered in San Diego
(dfcsociety.net), I am adamantly opposed to the precedence given to the new Distinguished Warfare Medal.

The Department of Defense announced that this medal will be awarded to “recognize a service member’s extraordinary achievements directly impacting combat operations.” In announcing the creation of this new medal, the Pentagon further set forth “that based on the order of precedence, the Distinguished Warfare Medal will sit directly below the Distinguished Flying Cross. It may be awarded for actions in any domain but not involving acts of valor or physical risk that combat entails.”

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society does not oppose a medal recognizing a service member’s extraordinary actions that make a true difference in combat operations, even if those actions are physically removed from the scene of actual combat. However, we vehemently oppose the precedence accorded to this award, which significantly diminishes valor in combat.

As announced, the Distinguished Warfare Medal is placed above the following four combat medals:

1. Bronze Star

2. Purple Heart

3. Air Medal

4. Air Force, Army and Navy/Marine Commendation Medals for valor

It is also above the Airman’s, Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps and Soldier’s Medals for noncombat valor.

The wisdom of placing this award for extraordinary achievements executed safely away from the battlefield above awards for heroism, combat injuries or death on the battlefield (land, sea or air) is incomprehensible.

On behalf of thousands of DFCS members, as well as millions of combat veterans from World War II to today, I have sent letters to the secretary of defense, the service secretaries, the service chiefs, the joint chiefs, 100 U.S. senators and numerous members of the House of Representatives (including Duncan Hunter, Susan Davis, Scott Peters, Darrell Issa and Juan Vargas). I have also requested members of DFCS to email their senators and House members, as well as their military friends, about this travesty.

As a Navy combat pilot, I believe ranking the Distinguished Warfare Medal above any award for heroism is a direct insult to those service members who risk their lives in combat in a hostile environment. It is a slap in the face to those of us who were, or are, in actual combat. We are also doing this for the active-duty and deceased combat-tested personnel, who can’t protest this outrage.

The DFCS members range from World War II combat veterans to active-duty members. Almost all of them have also been awarded Air Medals. A large number have received the Purple Heart. Many have been awarded the Air Force, Army and Navy/Marine Commendation Medals for valor. Some have been awarded the Airman’s, Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps and Soldier’s Medals for noncombat valor. Only a few have received the Bronze Star for valor, as it is strictly a ground-combat award.

As an example, I flew 200 missions in Vietnam in the A-4F Skyhawk from various aircraft carriers and was awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses, 19 Strike/Flight Air Medals, four Individual Air Medals and two Navy Commendation Medals for valor.

I was fighting and risking my life for our country (not for the medals), just as my fellow DFCS members were and are. Now, my country is awarding a medal far higher than the ones awarded to me to someone far removed from combat and danger.

There was an article in U-T San Diego last month that really captured my attention.

A ceremony was held at Camp Pendleton in memory of Marine Sgt. William Stacey. Represented by his family, he posthumously received a Bronze Star for heroic actions during several combat tours in Afghanistan. Imagine how Stacey’s family would feel to know that a service member far from the enemy is considered by our government to be more important than their heroic son.

We are not trying to eliminate the medal, only its precedence over actual combat-related awards. It is my hope that all combat veterans and their families will support the effort to downgrade the precedence of the Distinguished Warfare Medal by contacting their elected officials.